a critical look at comic books and the comic book industry

Author: Jason Michael Groth

While reading Jason Aaron’s run of Doctor Strange, the introduction of Mister Misery really caught my attention. Mister Misery debuts in The Last Days of Magic Part 3 as, “made entirely of pain and suffering.” Mister Misery was created with the help of Wong, who channeled Dr. Strange’s pain into a padlocked cellar room. Dr. Strange eventually has … More No Good Deed Goes Unpunished for Dr. Strange

Most of the responses we’ve received in writing this blog come from the Reddit community. A few comments consider, somewhat dismissively, that we’re writing about comic books that aren’t based in reality while we discuss real-world issues. For example, on the post about Daredevil and using his lie-detection in the courtroom, some commenters shared sentiments … More Comic Books in the Humanities: Who Cares and Why?

Bulletproof Love addresses race issues, which is what Marvel wanted to occur throughout the series. To the show’s credit, there are many ways this is done successfully. Bulletproof Love, however, highlights that Luke Cage is a symbol of racial injustice without substance. He wears the politically charged hoodie over bulletproof black skin, but he remains silent on discriminatory policing. … More Bulletproof Love: Symbolism and Racial Injustice in Luke Cage

The presumption Jessica Jones and Daredevil adamantly convey is that private counsel will better represent a client than court appointed counsel. Public defenders in the Marvel Universe either leave you in prison for life or on death row. … More Marvel’s Public Pretender